Moscow shoots back at Boris Johnson

Russian defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov on Wednesday scoffed at accusations lobbed at the Kremlin a day earlier by British Foreign Minster Boris Johnson, saying they were part of “Russophobic hysteria,” according to a report by Reuters.

Johnson slammed Russia for its relentless bombardment of opposition-controlled areas of Aleppo, the airstrike on an aid convoy, trying to reach civilians in the besieged area of the city, and Moscow’s intervention in the Syrian war on the side of President Bashar Assad. Johnson said it was “unquestionably a war crime” and called for protests outside the Russian embassy in London, according to AFP.

Konashenkov shrugged off the accusation, saying the accusations of some British politicians had not been taken seriously for some time, and “accusing Russia of all mortal sins” was just a “storm in a teacup.”

He also reiterated that Russian planes were not behind the airstrike last month, in which about 20 people were killed and 18 of 32 vehicles, carrying humanitarian aid to eastern Aleppo, were destroyed.

Also on Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault entered the war of words between Europe and Russia, accusing Russian president of slinking away from a planned visit to France because he did not want to talk about Syria.

“In reality, Vladimir Putin has stepped up his bombardment of Aleppo, so I imagine coming to Paris to talk about Syria would have been very embarrassing,” Ayrault said.